The official said: "Yes, you haven't seen the grandeur of the scholar's family today. Everyone in this family looks like they were raised in a big family. Even the children are extraordinary."
The people of Fengjia Village did not know what the officials said, so they returned to the yamen and told them about the situation in Fengjia Village.
County Magistrate Huang Qi was very curious. He had been to Fengjia Village once two years ago. It was no different from other villages. It was equally poor, with thatched houses everywhere. But what he heard from the official today was indeed a world of difference from what he saw.
There were actually twelve people from Fengjia Village who passed the examination to become Tongsheng this time. He had never seen a village that could afford to send so many children to school.
Huang Qi heard that the family that passed the imperial examination had eight boys, two of whom were juren and seven were tongsheng, and they had only been in school for a year. He planned to go and see it in person tomorrow.
After sending the officials away, Fengjiu secretly released a pig, a dozen chickens, and two sheep into the backyard.
Old Man Feng also came to his senses. He discussed with Old Lady Feng and his sons, called on a few clansmen for help, and arranged for lunch for the whole village.
The old patriarch in the front yard patted Feng Laosi and Feng Zhong on the shoulders with satisfaction. His beard stood up with excitement. He smiled and said, "You are worthy of being descendants of the Feng family. In just one year, you have passed the imperial examination and won the first place. Brother Zhong also won the second place. Grandpa, the patriarch, is also very happy for you!"
The village chief next to him also echoed: "Lao Si and Zhong Ge'er, you are both great. The village will reward you each with 100 taels of silver as a token of encouragement."
The entire Fengjia Village gathered at Old Feng's house, and the house suddenly became very lively.
Every household went home to get tables, chairs, benches, pots, pans, and utensils, and soon the yard became busy.
Just when everyone was busy, Feng Laoer rushed back from the county town and brought good news.
Twelve students from Fengjia Village passed the exam this time. All seven boys from the Feng family passed the exam, and several boys from the clan also passed the exam.
He also said that the county magistrate would come to Fengjia Village tomorrow, which caused an uproar.
Fengjia Village suddenly produced one top scorer, one runner-up, and twelve students. No other village in history had produced so many people at once.
The clan leader trembled and said three times in a row: "Good, good, good! Our Feng family's ancestors have appeared and blessed our Feng family to regain the glory of a hundred years ago."
Some older members of the clan were also in tears and were extremely happy.
The clan members were all happy today and everyone ate to their heart's content. Some of the older people were so drunk that they were helped home by their families.
The banquet lasted until dusk. In the evening, when all the guests had left, everyone in the Feng family was tired, but their hearts were full of joy.
Feng Laosi and Feng Zhong passed the imperial examination and became Juren, which meant that the Feng family had completely changed their status and became a member of the gentry. Among the four classes of people, scholars, farmers, workers and businessmen, scholars were the most noble.
This is what it means to stand out, and it is the only way for ordinary people to cross classes.
Just as the family entered the main hall, Feng Laosi and Feng Zhong personally moved two stools and helped their grandparents to sit down.
Feng Lao Si lifted his robe and knelt on the ground, kowtowed three times to his parents: "Dad and Mom, your son has lived up to your expectations and won the first place in this provincial examination."
Feng Zhong also lifted his robe and knelt on the ground, kowtowed three times: "Grandpa, Grandma, and Dad, your son has lived up to your expectations and won the second place in this provincial examination."
"Good! Good! Good! Daddy and Grandpa are proud of you!" Old man Feng helped his son and grandson up with red eyes.
"My son and grandson have made great progress, they are all getting up soon."
Feng Zhong knelt down again and kowtowed three times to his parents, uncles and aunts. Zhong'er thanked his parents, uncles and aunts for their support, and thanked his uncles and aunts for their hard work for this family.
Uncle Feng helped his son up, patted his shoulder and said, "Good son, you have always been your parents' pride. Dad knows you like studying. Now that you are well, I have no regrets anymore!"
Several uncles and aunts were also very pleased. Zhong Ge'er has always been the most sensible and obedient child, and his efforts are obvious to all.
Feng Zhong bowed to Feng Jiu again and said, "Thank you, sister. You have contributed the most to this family. I will also work hard to be your support."
Feng Lao Si also bowed to his brother and sister-in-law and said, "I thank you for your support. You have always supported this family. Thank you for your dedication to this family. I, Feng Zhong, swear that I will respect you all my life."
The eyes of the whole family were red. Feng Jiu felt that all her efforts were worth it after Feng Zhong bowed today. She believed that her father and brothers would become her support in the future.
Fengjiu decided to take her family into the space to celebrate. After entering the space, Fengjiu took out the seafood and stir-fried dishes she had stockpiled in her previous life, a total of more than twenty dishes. The adults drank until their faces were red, and the children also ate with their mouths full of oil.
Early the next morning, Tiedan came to Feng's house and said that the county magistrate was about to arrive at the village entrance and asked the Feng family to get ready.
Soon, the county magistrate and several yamen runners arrived at the Feng family's door. The whole family came out to greet them and were about to kneel down.
The county magistrate hurriedly stopped the Feng family from kneeling: "No need to be so polite."
Holding up Old Man Feng, he said, "I'm here today to award your children and grandchildren with rewards. Your son Feng Shengjue and your grandson Feng Zhong have brought honor to our county. The county has decided to reward Feng Shengjue with 20 mu of fertile land and 200 taels of silver, and Feng Zhong with 10 mu of fertile land and 100 taels of silver."
The two yamen runners behind him brought up two trays, one of which contained twenty silver ingots and a land deed.
On the second tray were ten silver ingots of ten taels each and a land deed.
Feng Laosi and Feng Zhong took it with both hands, thanked the county magistrate, and a group of people led the county magistrate into the Feng family courtyard.
The county magistrate was named Huang Qi, a thin man who looked to be about thirty years old.
He had been the county magistrate in Fengshan County for two years. He was an upright and good official who often used his salary to subsidize the poor. He had a good reputation in Fengshan County.
The village chief and Old Man Feng brought the county magistrate into the main hall, and Mrs. Wang served them tea and snacks.
The few of them had a great time chatting about family matters, and they also wanted to establish good relations with the Feng family. After all, Feng Shengjue and Feng Zhong would become officials in the future.
At noon, the Feng family prepared several tables of food. Old man Feng invited the clan leader to drink with the county magistrate. The wine was taken out from the space by Fengjiu.
When the county magistrate saw that many of the dishes on the table were unfamiliar to him, he asked Old Man Feng about them. Old Man Feng said that these were seeds his fourth son had bought from foreigners and had just planted them last year.
The county magistrate came today and just dug it out of the ground.
The county magistrate took the cooked sweet potato from the basket and took a bite without even peeling the skin. The sweetness and softness in his mouth immediately made the county magistrate's eyes light up.
He asked, "What is this? Why does it taste so sweet?"
Feng Lao Si: "This thing is called sweet potato. It can be eaten as a staple food. It can be boiled or roasted."
The magistrate picked up another potato, which was also soft and sticky, and tasted the corn as well.
Before the county magistrate could ask, Feng Lao Si said, "This is called potato. It can be eaten as a staple food or as a vegetable."
The magistrate put down his chopsticks and asked, "I wonder how much these kinds of food are produced?"
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